Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-03-23
CHASTITY CONFESSION.
WILLIE SELLS, THE YOUNG KANSAS MUIR
DgRER, TEILSTHETRuIH.
On Pressure From His Counsel he Gives the S,ay IN
All It's FrieAttnl Desails-rhe Young Rsuds
w9k-A Horrible Climax
Trivial Dispute

ST. LOUIS, March 22.--It will be re-
umembered that year ago this month one
of the boldest murders, or rather butcher
les, of human beings known TO the annals
of crime. was committed near the town Of
Erie, Kansas.
J. W. Sells, . well-to-do farmer, and his
whole family, excepting his sou Willie, .
boy l6 years old, were found murdered,
their heads being crushed and their throats
being cut from ear to ear.
On chair in the room was found .
hatchet and butcher knife belonging to the
family with which the bloody work had
been done, and the boy, Willie. was found
to be covered with blood from head to foot,
He was accordingly arrested, charged
with the crime, and, at the July term Of
the District Court in 1896, was tried, con-
victed Of murder in the tirst degree, and
sentenced to he hung, and, in conformity
to the laws OF that State, Is now in the
penitentiary awaiting the signature Of the
Governor TO the death warrant
There has always been great diversity
of opinion among the people rs TO whether
William Sells committed the murder. On
the trial there was no positive evidence,
and the State utterly failed TO find any
motive for the crime. On the contrary IL
Was proven that Willie was an exception
ally good boy, and that he and his sister
Ina were more than commonly fond Of
each other. The neighbos all swore to the
boys good disposition, and that he was
favorite in the community, while his
brother Waty, who was older than he was
not 50 generally liked.
The matter now, however, seems 10 be
set ut rest, for statement is printed this
morning, in dispatches from Erie, that the
hoy, after systematic urging and pressing
on the part of Hon. J. II. Woods, his
guardian, and his attorneys, made q con-
iession which fits Sd exactly to the facts
and circumstances brought out Mt the trial
that il settles the case definitely. The
confession is in substance "a follows:
Mother and sister Ina had gone 70 bed.
Father, Waty and were still up when the
calves got out and came up around tho
house Waty sat at the table reading,
and father, who had Just taken his coat
and pants of 10 90 TO bed, told Waty to 70
and put the calves up He said: let Will
lie do it; | won't 20 out now Father
said that he should 90, and Waty did not
want TO, and while they were talking
went out and got the hatchet, which was
sticking in log Of wood outside the door,
and came back 10 see if Waty would go
out with me. got the hatchet to nail up
the calf pen. Father and Waty were there
quarrelng, and had become very mad.
When came in where they were with tho
hatchet, Waty snatched il out Of my hand
and struck father several times, at last
knocking him down.
when saw what Waty had done !
caught hold of the hatchct and ierked IL
out Of his hands, and, striking at Waty,
hit him on the head and he fell down on
the door, and supposed that killed him.
Then mother, seeing what was being done,
jumped out of bed screaming, and, before
| thought what was doing, j struck her.
Ina, my sister, at that moment raised up
In bed and screamed, and ] don't know
why did Il, but struck her with the
hatchet and she fell back. They were all
lying quiet took OF all my clothes eH-
cept my shirt and drawers, then pulled OF
Waty's pants, raised him up, carried him
into the other room and put him into our
bed
after that went back and got the
hatchet, and pounded his head all TO
pieces. felt mad at Waty because hehad
killed father. ! went To the cupboard and
got the butcher knife and cut Waty's head